Can opener



C. CATALDO April 21, 1931.

CAN. OPENER Filed Jan. 2, 1950 I 71/U6'7'D torn Ucurmii/ze 0a lied/0L0.

Patented Apr. 21, 1931 STA CAB-MINE CATALDG, OF CHELSEA,IVIASSACH'USETTS CAN OPENER.

Application filed January 2, 1930. Serial No. 417,954.

This invention relates to an improved can opener, the object of theinvention being to provide a cheap, durable and convenient can opener,which will perform the cutting operation, whereby the top of the can issevered from the wall in a neat and eiiicient manner, leaving the edgeof the can smooth and free from any adhering portions of the top afterthe same has been removed by the opener.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts setforth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the can opener of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation broken away and showing the same in operativerelation to a portion of a can, the top of the can being shown insection.

Fig. 4 is. a side elevation similar to- Fig. 3 illustrating the canopener in a tipped positon.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

In the drawings, 5 is a flat metal strip bent between its ends to form ahandle 6. The end portions 7 and 8 of the strip beingpositioned face toface, the end portion 7 projecting beyond the end portion 8 and forminga guard 9. A stop plate 10 is fastened to the inner face of the endportion 7 and is bevelled at 11 on its lower end. A cutter blade 12 isriveted to the end portion 7 and to the stop plate 10 which isinterposed between the end portion 7 and the cutter blade 12, wherebysaid cutter blade and the end portion 7 and the guard 9 are spacedapart. The lower end of the cutter blade 12 has an inclined edge 18 andis inclined away from the guard 9 as indicated at 14, Fig. 1, an edge 19of said cutter blade constituting the cutting edge.

A dog 15 is pivoted at 16 between the guard 9 and the cutter blade 12and is free to rock therebetween, the distance to which the dog 15 canrock being limited by the stop plate 10. The dog 15 is provided with atooth 20 on its lower edge 21 and at the rear end of said lower edge.

In Fig. 8 the can opener is illustrated in the position which itoccupies relativelyto a can 17, the top 18 of which is illustrated insection with the cutter blade 12 projecting therethrough and the guard 9projecting downwardly along the outer surface of the wall of the can.

Then the can opener is tipped from the posltion illustrated in Fig. 3 tothe position illustrated in Fig. 4 the tooth 20 on the lower edge of thedog 15 will be forced into the upper edge 22 of the can 17 and will thuslock the can opener against rearward movement, so that as the can openeris tipped from the position illustrated in Fig. 3 to the positionillustrated in Fig. 1 the cutting edge 19 of the cutter blade 12 willforce its way through the material of the top 18 of the can 17 as shownin Fig. 4. The can opener is then tipped forwardly into the positionillustrated in Fig. 3 and the operation hereinbefore set forth isrepeated until the top of the can is entirely severed from the bottomportion thereof.

The cutter blade 12 is inclined away from the guard as indicated at lt,so that when the can opener is tipped from the position illustrated inFig. 3 to the position illustrated in Fig. 4 the cutter blade will notdig into the wall of the can, but will conform to the concave innersurface thereof as the blade approaches a horizontal position. i

I claim:

1. A can opener having, in combination,- a handle, a cutter blade and aguard projecting from said handle and spaced apart from each other, aflat plate constituting a dog pivotally mounted between said guard andcutter blade with the flat faces of said plate positioned in planesextending longitudinal- .ly of said handle and one edge of said platejecting beyond the other and constituting a iii) guard, a stop platefast to said projecting end portion, a cutter blade fast to said stopplate and projecting end portion and spaced apart from said projectingend portion, and a flat plate constituting a dog pivotally mountedbetween said projecting end portion and cutter blade With the fiat facesof said plate positioned in planes extending longitudinally of saidhandle and one edge of said plate being adapted to contact With the edgeof a can when the top of said can is being slitted by said cutter blade,the distance to which said dog can rock being limited by said stopplate.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CARMINE GATALDO.

